1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a work vehicle such as a passenger type lawn mower vehicle or a tractor, and more particularly to a work vehicle having an engine hood which may be pivotably opened and closed in the vertical direction about an axis at a front portion of the vehicle body, the vehicle being constructed such that engine-cooling fresh ambient air is introduced through an air inlet opening defined in a control panel forming a rear wall of an engine room and the used air after cooling is discharged through an air outlet opening defined in a front face of the engine hood.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to a conventional work vehicle of the above-noted type, as disclosed in e.g. Japanese utility model kokai No. Hei. 4-29477, an outer frame of a control panel forming a rear wall of an engine room is fixed to a vehicle chassis.
With the above work vehicle, engine-cooling ambient air is introduced from an area around the driver's deck which is relatively free from straw dust or the like, whereby premature clogging phenomenon of a dustproof mesh, which constitutes the air intake face of the control panel, may be advantageously avoided. However, when e.g. an operator is to clean the inner side of the dustproof mesh from the side the driver's seat, presence of an instrument panel hinders the operator's view, so that the operator would find it difficult to reach the inner side, particularly its upper portion, of the dustproof mesh. Further, with the above work vehicle, the control panel consists essentially of a detachable dustproof mesh portion and a fixed frame member which is fixed to the vehicle chassis. Thus, for effecting a cleaning operation of the inside of the engine room, the dustproof mesh may be detached; yet, the cleaning operation, particularly of the battery, radiator and their peripheral components, tends to be troublesome because of the presence of the fixed frame member and a steering column.
In view of the above-described state of the art, the primary object of the present invention is to solve the above drawbacks of the convention by providing a construction which allows a speedy and easier cleaning operation of the inner face of the dustproof mesh and also of the inside of the engine room.